When the Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the game was nothing short of a classic AFC North showdown. There was nervousness and sweat in the air because the Bengals were not ready to hand an easy win. And while it wasn’t a winning game from the start, the Black and Gold ended up snatching a victory with a 44-38. But not without defensive struggles. Wideout Tee Higgins did enough to give the winning team a hard time. So much so that HC Mike Tomlin went on to call him a “goon.”

Second-year cornerback Joey Porter Jr. continues to be an integral part of the Steelers’ defense, but the challenges he’s facing are clearly visible. The Bengals game held up a big mirror to that. The CB’s penalties kept coming, and the dropped interception at the end didn’t make the day any better for him. Mike Tomlin, while talking about the penalty-filled game, made sure to specially mention Higgins. Steelers’ reporter Aaron Becker posted a video on X of the post-match presser where Tomlin spoke. “Tee Higgins’ got a lot to do with that,” said Tomlin, further stating, “Tee is a goon. He is. You can’t let him beat you up.” Goon or not, Porter Jr. would probably echo the same feelings.

Although the general thought was Porter Jr. would shadow the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase, the Steelers decided to put the CB on Higgins. But the plan didn’t see much effect. The WR has five receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. But the biggest problem he gave the Steelers was the mounting number of penalties for Porter. So, you see why the coach called him a “goon“.

He also went on to say, “You cannot let a big dude like that beat up. You gotta match the fire with fire. You hope to do it clean enough that it doesn’t draw a bunch of penalties. We weren’t as successful in that regard today. We’ll keep working, but one thing we’re not gonna do is let that guy goon us.” The Steelers will find out whether Higgins will cause any more trouble for the team again in their season-ending encounter in Week 18. But with the strong backing of QB Russell Wilson, Steel City might just snatch another win.

Russell Wilson is getting his redemption with the Steelers

Remember last season when the Broncos paid Wilson $85 million to leave? Yeah, it may not have been the best decision made by the team, but it sure was for the Steelers. Wilson is thriving with the Steelers and under HC Tomlin. In the game against the Bengals, the QB delivered a stellar performance by throwing 414 yards and three touchdowns. He even secured a personal best of 257 passing yards in the first half alone.

It also marked his third career game with 400-plus pass yards. But that wasn’t all! Wilson also set a new franchise record for passing yards against the Bengals. The previous record was held by veteran Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for 386 yards in a late-season game in 2005. Aside from the QB, the Steelers, too, broke some records. The 44 points the team got over the Bengals were the most in a game by Pittsburgh since 2018.

Needless to say, if the QB and the team keep up the stellar performance, a chance at a Super Bowl win may not be a distant dream. What do you think?